


Eight Days In Transit

by Eryiss



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Author Freed, But not anything too bad, Discussions of sexulaity, Episodic Structure, Era typical homophobia, Flirting, Freed is a little flirty, Geographical Inaccuracies, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Historical Inaccuracy, Homeless Laxus, Internalized Homophobia, Laxus is out of his depth, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Minor Angst, NSFW, Poor Laxus, They both wear suits, They're both french but it doesnt really come up, Wealthy Freed, but also a good friend, class struggles, minor power dynamics, smut can be skipped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23297299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryiss/pseuds/Eryiss
Summary: Laxus' life had always been hard. His life was shaped by hardships and troubles, and he knew he needed to keep on moving to survive. But when he is forced to stowaway on a luxury train to Paris, he is given a small respite in his troubles in the form of Freed Justine, a confident writer unlike anyone Laxus had ever met. The man offers him space in his cabin just for the story of how he got there, an act of kindness that changes Laxus' life completely.But a lot can happen on a train journey. And getting on the train might have been one of the best things that could have happened to Laxus. All it takes is eight days of transit.
Relationships: Fraxus - Relationship, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all. This is something I've been working on for a little while, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. It started out as a shameless excuse to write the two of them wearing suits from the 1930's and spiralled out of control. The second part should be coming out on Monday.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

** Eight Days In Transit **

**_Day One: Morning_ **

Keep his head down, cover his eyes with his cap, and make as little noise as he could. That's all he needed to do to get through this.

Laxus walked beneath the stone arches into the grand train station, merging as best he could with the dense crowd of travellers. He did his best to look inconspicuous, though his heart was beating fast and his eyes scanning his surroundings as quickly as he could. It was inevitable that the police would be here soon, and if they were to see him then they would zero in on him instantly, so he needed to keep moving.

Through the miasma of steam and smoke from the trains, Laxus glanced over the listings and departure times. The panic was setting in, not allowing him to focus properly. He tightened his grip on the bag he had slung over his shoulder, anxiety growing as he looked for a train departing soon that would get him anywhere near where he needed to be.

Taking a breath, he saw it. Paris, departing at 8:35. Twenty minutes.

He turned his head, looking for the platform. It was at the right of the station, the train already stationed with people boarding it. He had to move fast but tried not to push anyone out of the way where he could avoid. Pushing the wrong person could bring attention to them, which he couldn't deal with. Because even when he was trying to blend into the crowd, a man of Laxus' stature, with bright blonde hair no less, was obvious. He hoped the murmured apologies to anyone he bumped into would be enough to keep anonymity.

As he got closer to the ninth platform, he glanced over his shoulder. Police had entered – four of them, at least – and were speaking with a person dressed in a uniform. Laxus clenched his jaw at the sight, his pace quickening. When he saw one glancing in his direction, he covered his eyes with his flatcap and kept his gaze to the floor.

All this for a stolen wallet. How was he to know he was pickpocketing a visiting lord?

Having left the heavy crowd, he walked faster to the train leading to Paris. He didn't have a ticket, nor could he afford one if the lavishness of the train was reflective of the price, but he was too far along to stop now. He looked up and down the vehicle, hoping that there would be an obvious luggage carriage that he could climb into. If anyone found him, he would have to convince them he worked for the station as someone who loaded suitcases. A believable lie, hopefully.

The passengers seemed to be boarding from the back of the train, so luggage would likely be at the front. He walked with a quick pace, occasionally looking back for police. There was none near him, and he soon found what he guessed was the luggage carriage.

He tried to open the door, but of course it was locked. He pushed a little harder, but still nothing. He walked a little further to down and was faced with another door. He pulled it, and although it wasn't locked, it seemed as though the rust had made the hinges stiff. He grabbed the handle with both hands and started to pull with a grunt of effort. It moved half an inch but was nowhere close to being open.

By the third sharp pull, he saw the door to the engine room opening.

A man walked out, and Laxus froze. The driver lit a cigarette and started to smoke, thankfully looking in the other direction. Laxus couldn't pull on the handle again – the metal scraping was loud – so the luggage carriage idea was bust. He turned around to see the police spreading out, still not having seen him.

He walked beside the train, unblinking and tense as he did so. He needed to get on this fucking train, but apparently even the Greek transportation system was against him, not just it's policing system.

The police were now looking down some of the platforms, and once they saw him he would be trapped. He looked up at the large vehicle and was forced to make a decision: either quickly make his way to the next door onto the train and hope it opened, or try desperately to get out of the station and lie low for as long as he could. The latter was probably easier and safer, but he needed to get to France as quickly as he could, and this might be his only opportunity.

Trying not to second guess himself, he climbed up to the small metal walkway between two of the cabins. He tried both doors, the second mercifully being unlocked. He entered it before he could talk himself out of it and took a breath.

The difference between inside the rain and outside was palpable.

It was calmer now, with a corridor of exposed wood and immaculate red carpets. The smell of train smoke was a lot less pungent, a welcome release from the station. Laxus leant against the back of the door, panting.

"What the fuck are you doing, Dreyar?" He asked himself with a whisper.

What was his next move? The conductor was going to figure out that he hadnt got a ticket, so if he didn't want to add being a stowaway onto his list of crimes, he was going to have to hide for however long this journey was. But he couldn't hide anywhere because he was on a damn train.

This was a bad idea. This was such a bad idea.

His chest heaved a little as he tried to catch his breath. His cheeks were flushed red and sweat covering him slightly, and he wanted nothing more to close his eyes and allow himself to relax. But he couldn't, because he stupidly boarded a train he hadnt paid for – and a pretty luxurious one by the look of it – and now had to deal with the consequences of that.

Maybe he could break into the luggage carriage? If there were doors between each carriage, he could pull it open and wouldn't have to worry about the sound once the train was moving. That was the best option, but even if that did work, he needed to wait until it they had left the station, and that was difficult in and of itself. He needed to hide until that could happen. With that in mind, he started to walk down the corridor in hopes of finding somewhere he wouldn't be noticed.

Half way down the corridor, the door was opened by someone in a uniform.

Fuck.

They were wheeling a trolley of some kind, thankfully with their back to Laxus. Not giving the man the time to turn, Laxus looked back and saw the corridor was lined with doors. He pushed open the nearest one and walked through it, shutting it with a soft click. He rested his forehead against the door, listening with bated breath as the squeaking wheel of the trolley passing by without hesitation. Laxus let out a quiet breath, eyes closing with a relief.

"Excuse me Sir," A smooth voice said from behind him, and Laxus' eyes shot open. "May I help you?"

Laxus turned slowly, looking at the room he had entered. It was a sleeper cabin, with two beds one above the other pressed against the left wall. At the foot of the beds was an open door that lead to a small, but functional washroom. A large desk was pushed against the right wall, somewhat cluttered. None of that mattered, because sitting at the desk was a man.

Fuck.

The man was clearly wealthy, with a crisp white shirt, fancy looking trousers and a decadent coat hanging from a coat hook. He was young, perhaps a few years younger than Laxus, and with sharp features and long green hair. His eyebrow was cocked up as he looked back at Laxus.

He couldn't speak. What could he say to get out of this?

"I made it quite clear that this was to be a private cabin," The man continued, standing up. "And if you believe this is your room, then I can assure you it isn't."

"No," Laxus managed to speak, voice slightly croaker than normal. "I know this ain't my room, sir."

"Then would you mind explaining to me why you're…"

The man trailed off on his words, and Laxus tensed. He could only watch, standing dead still, as the man turned fully towards him and looked him up and down. It was an unsubtle action, and the man seemed uncaring for Laxus' obvious discomfort. The eyes flickered all over him, and Laxus could tell that the man was putting everything together. With tattered clothes, a bulging bag containing almost everything Laxus cared for, scuffed shoes and a less than well-presented manner, it was obvious that he didn't belong here.

With slow, purposeful movements, the man stood up from his desk. He continued looking Laxus with an analytical eye, and the blonde felt he couldn't even move for fear of being found out. Even though it was plainly obvious that this man had an idea of what was happening.

"Would you mind showing me your ticket, sir," The man said, eventually. "So I can help you to your cabin."

Fuck, even though he knew it was coming it felt like a punch to the gut. At the very least the conductor would be called, he'd be dragged into some office in the train station and probably be charged for attempting to be a stowaway. Of course, then the police would inevitably find him and make sure his robbery charges were included, and he would be fucked. Brilliant.

"I thought not," The man continued after a moment. "May I ask your name, sir?"

"Laxus. Laxus Dreyar," He said, voice hoarse. Hopefully, being polite might make the man show leniency and he would be allowed to leave the train without the staff knowing.

"A pleasure," The stranger smiled. "Just to be clear, you're a stowaway, correct?"

"I suppose so, sir," Laxus muttered. "I can leave, sir. I don't wanna cause trouble, I can just go."

"That's hardly necessary," The man continued.

Laxus watched as the man sat back at his desk but was still looking at Laxus. The expression of suspicion was replaced with one of faint amusement, and Laxus couldn't understand why. He continued to stay as still as possible, as if a movement would spook the man enough to call the conductor in.

"Tell me Mr Dreyar, and please don't take offense to this," The man continued. "What would drive you to do something so stupid as to stowaway on a train journey that lasts eight days?"

Eight days? Of course he had managed to get on a train that would take eight damn days to get to its destination; that was just how luck worked with him. He had guessed that it wouldn't be a short journey, but not this long. It was far too long for him to remain hidden. Shit.

"Because, if I'm honest with you, Mr Dreyar," The man continued. "I find myself oddly fascinated by you?"

"Excuse me, sir?" Laxus asked.

"Call it intuition, or perhaps delusion, but you seem as though you're someone with a story to tell," The man glanced at his desk for a moment, before looking back to Laxus. "Would you agree?"

"I ain't any more interesting than anyone else," Laxus said before he could stop himself. The man smiled.

"Perhaps. But you're the first man I've met brave, or perhaps stupid, enough to stowaway on a luxury rail service lasting over a week. That's interesting to me," The man smiled. "I have a proposition for you, Mr Dreyar. But first, I should introduce myself. I'm Freed Justine."

"Nice to meet ya, Mr Justine," Laxus took the man's hand, somewhat tentatively. "I don't understand what you mean by proposition, though?"

"I'm a writer. I'm currently working on an anthology of short stories. With varying degrees of success, I must admit. Which is where I think we can help one another," The man, Freed, smiled a little. "I believe the happenstance that brought you here would make for a good story. I'd like you to tell me it, so I can write and publish it. In return, you can stay in here throughout the journey and I'll do what I can to make sure you're undiscovered."

Laxus felt his breath hitch.

This wasn't a normal situation, but Laxus couldn't dwell on that. This was almost definitely the best opportunity he would have to get into Paris, and everything in him wanted to take it. Explaining why he was there wouldn't be pleasant, but it also wouldn't be difficult. And he didn't need to tell the man everything, he could hide whatever he wanted. But still, he had doubts.

"I'll be found," Laxus muttered before he could stop himself. It was more to himself than to anyone else.

"I made it clear that nobody is to come into my cabin under any circumstances, I've requested breakfast to be delivered to me rather than taking it in the dining cart so I can feed you at least to some extent, and if someone does need to come in here you can stay in the washroom," Freed said, with authority in his tone. "It rather seems like fate has smiled upon us."

Laxus took a moment before speaking. "You're really sure about this?"

"Of course," Freed nodded slightly. "As I said, you interest me. The choice is yours."

"Fuck, then yes. Definitely. Thank you so much," Laxus breathed out, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. He knew he had no way of trusting this man, but he was desperately hoping that maybe this could work. "Do you want me to tell you now or?"

"Not now, you should have some time to acclimatise and calm down. You look as though you've ran a marathon," He laughed a little, and Laxus flushed. He was sweating a little.

"I guess I do," Laxus admitted, more out of fear for upsetting the man than anything else.

"You can relax, you know. I'm a man of my word, I won't suddenly change my mind if you disagree with me," Freed laughed again, looking to the small clock sitting on the desk. "I'll leave you for now, so you can settle. It's polite to introduce one's self to other passengers when on a journey like this, I suppose."

Laxus laughed a little at the reluctance in Freed's voice, watching as he adorned a red waistcoat and jacket. He stood to the side, allowing Freed access to the door. The writer paused for a moment, looking both at Laxus and then the bag over his shoulder. Laxus tensed, and he sighed.

"I mean it, Mr Dreyar. I won't hold anything against you, this room is as much yours as it is mine from now on. So you can relax, and put the bag down while you're at it, it looks as if it's filled with rocks" Freed joked, and Laxus laughed a little. "Although I would prefer the bottom bunk, I must admit."

"Yeah, that fine," Laxus said instantly. Climbing to an upper bunk was the least he could do.

"I'm glad," Freed said, straightening his jacket while looking in the mirror. "I expect meeting these people will drag out for an eternity, so I don't know when I'll next see you. So, until that time, good day Mr Dreyar."

"Good day, Mr Justine," Laxus nodded, and a moment later Freed had left the room.

Laxus looked around the room, taking in all that had just happened. He walked to the seat and collapsed into it, a large sigh leaving him. He glanced to the bed that he would be sleeping in for the next week, then to the door that kept him from being discovered and reprimanded. This small cabin was to be his home for over a week, a small but pleasant safe haven for the time being. As stressful as this may be, perhaps this could work out.

Against all his instincts telling him to stay alert, Laxus found himself relaxing.

* * *

**_Day One: Evening_ **

Laxus lay in his bed, above the soft covers, looking at the curving ceiling less than a few feet away from his head. He had been doing this for almost an hour now, and despite knowing it sounded petulant, he was bored out of his mind.

Hungry too. His stomach kept reminding him of that.

He had hardly eaten today; due to the rush he was in during the morning he had forgone any breakfast. Freed hadnt been able to give him a real meal, meaning the blonde was forced to make do with a singular apple taken from a fruit bowl, and three shortbread biscuits that had been served with a coffee. Freed had brought them both to him, and as small as they were Laxus had been incredibly thankful.

He was still hungry though.

Worse still was the fact it was dinner now, and on a Sunday no less. Laxus could smell the intoxicating aroma of gravy and cooked beef, and cursed God that Freed's cabin was placed near to the dining cart. It seemed comparable to kicking a man when he was down.

Freed had left nearly half an hour ago, meaning he must be close to completing his meal now. He would return soon, which Laxus was looking forward to, as conversation would at least alleviate some of his boredom.

The two men had seen each other periodically throughout the day, and Laxus couldn't get a read on him. He was clearly of a higher social class, something Laxus couldn't ignore despite how pleasant the man seemed to be. But he did seem true to his word, in that Laxus hadnt yet felt patronised or in the man's debt. In some ways, Laxus would have preferred that, because then at least he would know where he stood. But now, his relationship was a question mark, and one that Laxus couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried.

And apparently the roof of the train wasn't willing to give him answers.

By the time the door to the cabin opened again, Laxus had resulted to throwing a pair of balled up socks from hand to hand. Laxus glanced down to see Freed walk in, shrugging off his jacket and waistcoat.

"Hey," Laxus greeted, and Freed looked up.

"Evening," The man greeted, smiling a little. "My apologies for taking so long."

"Don't," Laxus countered. "You don't need to focus on me, not like you asked to have me in here."

"Well, technically I did, actually," Freed corrected, smirking a little. Was the man teasing him? Laxus couldn't tell. "Hopefully you weren't too bored on your own; I expect you didn't have much to do."

"Not really, but I can't exactly complain," Laxus sat up, leaning against the wall of the cabin and looking towards Freed. The man had removed his tie and undone his top button, now sitting at the desk again. Seeing this, Laxus continued. "I've erm, I've been thinking. I thought maybe I should tell you everything now, rather than putting it off."

This had been on Laxus' mind throughout the day. He couldn't tell Freed the entire truth – partially because he was a private person, and partially because this wasn't entirely his story to tell – and had been considering what aspects of his day to confess.

"It ain't really interesting. Not enough for a short story, I don't think," Laxus continued. "Which is why I wanna do it now, so if you decide it ain't good enough then you can ask for something more."

"That's considerate of you," Freed nodded. "Although, I should remind you that I offered you this room for that story. That's all I want. And I can embellish it as much as required."

"If you're sure," Laxus said, voice a little low.

Laxus watched as Freed turned to face the wall, pulling out a lavish looking pen and a notebook, rather than the typewriter that was still in its case. The blonde lazily followed the other man's actions, noticing how purposeful his movements were. Perhaps he was just grasping at straws in trying to understand the man, but the small actions told Laxus that Freed was a practical man. Despite his status, he didn't have much flash and pretention.

Maybe he really was just doing this because he wanted to help Laxus. And for the story. If that were true then maybe Freed was just an honest man, who put all his cards on the table without any pretence. Laxus wasn't really used to that.

"Whenever you're ready," Freed prompted.

"Er, okay," Laxus took a moment. "So, like I said earlier, I needed to get to Paris as soon as I can. I'm not exactly… I ain't got much money. Not enough to get in this train, probably not enough to actually get in the commoner's train either. Doesn't help I lost my job a couple days ago either, so I was pretty fucked."

Although he was looking up at the ceiling again, Laxus knew Freed was writing. His pen scratched against the paper; it was pretty therapeutic, and Laxus felt his eyes closing.

"Sorry, that ain't important really," Laxus continued. "But I needed money, and I did something I ain't proud of. There was this guy, he had his wallet in his breast pocket and seemed rich. I purposefully walked into him, brushed his clothes off as an apology and took the wallet. Turns out, he was some kind of duke or lord or something, and the police weren't best pleased that some street scum had taken a pretty big amount of money from him."

Laxus laughed at himself, somewhat bitterly. Having to confess all of this out loud made him feel somewhat pathetic. He had resulted to stealing; the reality of the situation was almost devastating.

"So I just pissed off a load of the police, and they started to chase me. Ran through the streets for a little while, managed to avoid them and ended up in the train station. Saw that this was going to Paris, so managed to get on before anyone saw me. Then some guy nearly caught me, so I went into the nearest room before they could catch me. And you know the rest."

Laxus opened one eye to look at Freed. He had stopped writing.

"Told you it ain't as interesting as you thought it would be," Laxus smiled a little.

"I can easily write something based off of that," Freed countered, placing his pen on the desk. "And if at any point you feel comfortable enough to finish the story with what you left out; I'd be happy to hear it."

Laxus paused. His story had been almost everything, and it wasn't as if there was anything obvious missed out. "Who said I'm leaving something out."

"You've yet to tell me why you need to go to Paris. Of course you don't have to, that's your prerogative, but it's a big part of the story you left out intentionally. I won't deny that I'm curious," Freed stood up, and walked to his suitcase. "I think I might retire for the night, if you'll excuse me for a moment."

Laxus watched as Freed walked into the small washroom, his sleeping attire in hand, and didn't speak as the door was closed in front of him. He felt as though he was starting to understand Freed a little more. Not only was he honest, but he was brutal in doing so, and vigilant too. It seemed that, if Laxus tried in any way to bullshit him, he would be called out on it without hesitation. Freed would do so politely, as befitting a gentleman, but he wouldn't hold back.

Closing his eyes, Laxus felt the train moving along the tracks below him. He thought of Freed and felt relaxed by the realisation. Having a man so honest sounded appealing, everyone else around Laxus seemed to have their own agenda or politics behind what they did. To have a break in that would be welcomed.

With that in mind, Laxus felt himself lulled to sleep.

* * *

**_Day Two: Morning_ **

Laxus had never been so glad to eat breakfast in his life. The meal consisted of four slices of toast, and a bowl of porridge mixed in with honey. Freed had taken a single slice of the toast for himself, assuring Laxus that he didn't need anything more, and the blonde hadnt argued. After a day without anything substantial, this meal was heavenly.

He brought the toast, which he had lathered with butter and marmalade, to his mouth. The crunch was almost as satisfying as taste.

Freed was sitting at the desk, though with his chair facing Laxus. The writer had already eaten his part of their shared breakfast and was occasionally sipping at the cup of tea in his hands. It was weirdly relaxing, and Laxus enjoyed it.

"Satisfying?" Freed asked, resting the teacup on its saucer.

"You have no idea," Laxus said after swallowing his mouthful.

"I'm glad," Freed nodded a little, before picking up a newspaper and opening it.

Laxus looked towards him for a quick second and found himself oddly comforted by the situation. His life over the past few months had been rushed; his rent had gone up and the tavern he worked at got a new boss who cut his pay, meaning his work hours had increased significantly. Thinking back, Laxus couldn't quite remember the last time he had enjoyed a breakfast. He had either rushed through it to get to work on time or skipped it all together. So this was pretty nice, even if the situation was a weird one.

Strangely content with the situation, Laxus continued to eat his breakfast with the silent company. His stomach was slowly starting to ache less, and the taste of the marmalade was amazing. It was something of a luxury, and Laxus was intending to make the most of it.

"Tell me about yourself, Mr Dreyar," Freed said suddenly.

"What d'you wanna know?" Laxus said, brow furrowing.

"Anything you're willing to tell me," Freed smiled a little, folding the newspaper closed and putting it on the desk. "As I said, you really do intrigue me. And if it makes you any more comfortable I'll be happy to answer any questions you have for me."

A small spiteful part of Laxus wanted to test that offer by asking the most intrusive questions he could think of, but he stopped himself. Despite Freed's assurances on the contrary, Laxus didn't yet believe that they were equals in the situation. If Laxus showed a side of himself that Freed didn't like, or one that was openly antagonistic towards him, all Freed needed to do would be to go to a member of staff and rat him out. And it would be worse now, that they were actually in transit, rather than staying in the station.

"Right, okay," Laxus thought for a moment. "Well, you already know my name. I'm twenty-six. I work at a tavern – well, used to at least – moving barrels to and from the cellar mainly. Used to work at the bar as well when they let me, but not so much over the last few months. Born and raised in France for most of my life, moved to Greece with my father when I was sixteen. That's it, really."

It wasn't, but Freed didn't need to know his life story. Probably didn't want to know, really.

"I thought I picked up a hint of French in your voice," Freed commented.

"Most people seem to think I lost it, really," Laxus laughed. Even he thought it was more Greek than French now. "You French?"

"Yes, born in Le Mans and moved to Paris when I found a publisher interested in my work," Freed explained, taking another sip of his tea.

"Why're you in Athens?" Laxus asked, before realising what he said. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Not at all," Freed placated. "It was the end of a book tour throughout Europe, actually. Personally I don't see the point in them, all I do is sign books and talk to people in bookstores. It's meant to bring attention to my work, but I still think it's unlikely someone would come to speak with me if they weren't already interested in my work."

"I don't know," Laxus shrugged. "I think it'd be interesting to meet an author, even if I didn't read their stuff. And publicists won't send you of a trip if it ain't profitable, right."

"I suppose they wouldn't" Freed agreed. "And I shouldn't complain, not many people can travel the continent without having to pay."

Laxus agreed, but didn't want to say anything, so remained silent. Freed didn't seem off put by this, instead taking a final sip of his tea before placing it on the saucer again. Seeing this as a way out of the conversation – he was willing to talk a bit about himself, but not too much – Laxus picked up the remaining half slice of toast and began to eat again. This was a much more comfortable situation for the blonde, and Freed didn't seem to be bothered by it.

After Laxus had finished his meal, he watched as Freed started to dress himself in his waistcoat and jacket again; apparently he only wore them when meeting other people of his status, rather than all the time. Laxus didn't know if that was relevant to his personality, but he thought it was odd.

"I'm afraid I have to leave you again, Mr Dreyar," Freed said, sounding resigned. "I made the mistake of revealing what I did to a bored, unhappy housewife. She hung onto me all afternoon and insisted that I explain my writing process to her."

"Sounds like she's interested in more than your work," Laxus chuckled.

"I certainly hope not," Freed sighed. "She was handsy enough as it was yesterday."

"Well, good luck with her," Laxus grinned, and Freed gave him an unimpressed look. There was no malice though.

"I appreciate your concern," Freed replied, voice droll and sarcastic. "The maid will come to pick up the plates, so if you hear someone moving around the door then it will be her, so don't worry."

Laxus nodded, placing the plate, teacup and saucer, and empty porridge bowl onto an ornate serving tray. Freed thanked him and picked up the tray, walking to the cabin's door. He waited for Laxus to move onto the bed, so that if anyone happened to be walking past, they wouldn't notice him there. Once he did, he gave Laxus a nod in place of a goodbye and closed the door behind him. Laxus could hear him placing the tray of food beside the door, before walking off to another part of the train. Once again, Laxus was left alone.

He looked around the cabin again, to see that Freed had taken the newspaper off his desk with him. With a small sigh, the blonde stood up and tapped his fingers against the desk as he scanned it. It was more cluttered now, with a closed pot of ink, an unopened letter, and a book.

Given there was nothing else to do, Laxus picked the book up and started to read.

* * *

**_Day Two: Evening_ **

The book was good. Surprisingly so, actually.

He was only a few chapters in, but it was great so far. It was a fantasy novel named Fairy Tail, focusing on two characters named Mavis and Zeref. So far, they were the only two people in the world, and seemingly were polar opposites, who were only joined together out of loneliness and solitude. Laxus wasn't a big reader, but he found himself unable to put the book down, it was just… just really good.

Part way through the first chapter, Freed had returned for his cigar case. For whatever reason, Laxus had quickly hid the book before Freed could see him. He didn't know if Freed would want him reading a book he owned, and again wanted to make sure his relationship with Freed was good.

When he removed the book from his pillow after Freed left, Laxus ran his hands over the leather bounding. The book had been written by someone named Albion Raijin, a name that was weirdly familiar to Laxus in a way that he didn't know. He had lived by a bookstore in Athens, though, so maybe he had walked past a copy of this book without realising and the name had been plastered into his mind without him knowing.

He hadnt thought much about it, instead finding his page again and continuing to read.

The afternoon went a lot quicker than it had the previous day, and his hunger wasn't quite as noticeable. It wasn't as if the time flew by, he was still trapped in a small room, but it was significantly better than it could have been. Certainly more entertaining than throwing a balled-up sock from hand to hand.

Sitting cross-legged on his bunk with the book resting in his lap, the blonde scanned the pages. The book seemed to be reaching one of its first action pieces, with some fantasy creature forming before the two protagonists. They were rushing to fight it, their actions desperate and lacking any planning, but Mavis insisted that they needed to defeat the creature before it could wreck the landscape as it did once before. This was something Laxus had started to realise; Mavis knew more than she was letting on. Zeref did too, though his secret seemed to be darker and evil in nature.

Just as they started to climb a mountain to better reach the creature, Laxus heard the door to the cabin click shut.

His eyes shot to the side, where he saw Freed standing. Relief hit him – thankfully it wasn't someone who didn't already know it was there. But almost immediately after, Laxus realised that the book was still in his hands, and Freed had undoubtedly seen him reading it.

"Sorry," Laxus said immediately, closing the book. "I shouldn't have taken it without askin'."

"You really need to stop treading on eggshells around me, Laxus," Freed said with a sigh. "You're in here alone, for hours, without any form of entertainment. I'm not going to get angry at you for reading."

"So you don't mind then?" Laxus wanted to be sure.

"Of course not," Freed removed his jacket. "How far in are you, may I ask?"

"Chapter seven, I think," Laxus opened the book, flicking through the pages. He showed a little bit more care now that Freed was in the room with him. "The creatures starting to form and they're starting to climb the mountain. Don't exactly know what they're gonna do, but Mavis seems pretty intent she's got an idea."

"That's quite a good part. Wait until they reach the summit," Freed smiled. "It was… incredibly stressful."

"Didn't think you were the type to get stressed when reading," Laxus commented, raising an eyebrow. So far, Freed seemed pretty unflappable. He had a stowaway in his room and was acting like this happened to him every day, after all.

"I like to emotionally invest in a novel," Freed explained. "Are you enjoying it so far?"

"It's good. Don't normally read a lot, but this is pretty good," Laxus nodded

"Well I'm glad you've found something to keep you occupied," Freed smiled, swapping his jacket for a different jacket. Laxus guessed this was his dinner jacket, as he had yet to go for his evening meal. "If you finish it, I've got copies of the rest of the series in that suitcase."

He nodded to a particular case, and Laxus eyed it. "You read a lot, then?"

"I try to, and I need to keep an eye on my rivals," Freed chuckled. "Particularly him, he and I are practically identical in many ways. He's an arrogant sod, though. Rather intolerable, I must say."

"Yet you brought the entire series," Laxus laughed.

"Who said I paid for them?" Freed raised an eyebrow with a challenging grin. Laxus was taken aback for a moment, looking at Freed with disbelief. Freed wasn't a thief, was he? "I'll let you ponder on that while I eat. I don't know how long I'll be, so don't feel as though you need to wait up for me to come back. I'll be quiet if you're sleeping."

"Thanks," Laxus said, still somewhat dazed by the revelation Freed might be a thief.

He was gone almost instantly, and Laxus was left in the room again. The book was in his lap, and he gazed at the door to the cabin with a slight frown on his face. So, Freed may have stolen books. That wasn't something Laxus had expected at all – he seemed to be someone who followed the rules of law perfectly – but the potential revelation gave him a new light. Honestly, Laxus held a greater amount of respect for him if it were true.

Although, now Laxus didn't know where he stood with Freed. Yet again, the man was an anomaly to him. One he was determined to find out.

* * *

**_Day Three: Morning_ **

Patting down his bare chest with a towel, Laxus felt like a new man. It was perhaps an exaggeration, but the wash he had just had made him feel refreshed and less, well, disgusting. He had a clean shave, had managed to rid himself of the smell that had begun to form and felt invigorated by the cold water that he had splashed against his face.

It was a lot better. He should have asked Freed on the first day.

Of course, it had been Freed offering him the water to wash rather than Laxus asking. The blonde side eyed the man from the washroom, watching as he tied his cravat in front of the mirror above the desk. It was comfortable, and that bothered Laxus.

Laxus had always prided himself on having a good sense of how people acted. It had become somewhat necessary in his life; he lived alone in a city that – at least at the start – he knew nothing about. Finding out whether someone could be trusted was something he needed to survive; if he trusted the wrong person then they would take advantage of him, and that was something that Laxus wouldn't allow to happen to him. As such, he had quickly developed a sense of what someone wanted, and if they were to be trusted.

But with Freed, he didn't know. He didn't know anything.

He kept getting close, or at least he felt like he did, but then something came up and the man just lost all sense. What bothered Laxus the most, however, was that he wasn't actually bothered by it.

Laxus had always been slow to trust, slow to allow himself to be at all vulnerable around someone he didn't know. But right now, he was standing half naked in a small room with a man he didn't really know or understand, having just washed in a room with little privacy. This was… intimate. Not to a ridiculous degree, but it was still something Laxus would have rather done in private.

And yet he hadnt. He had done it knowing Freed was there, and it hadn't bothered him.

He shouldn't trust Freed. He didn't know him, he couldn't read him, and that was something Laxus avoided. And yet he felt at ease around him in an inexplicable way. He couldn't understand why this was, and it was starting to annoy the blonde.

One thing bothered Laxus more than anything else. And he needed to fix that.

"Why are you helping me?" Laxus asked, just as Freed sat at the desk. "Because the idea you find me interesting… it's bullshit."

The writer looked a little shocked by the sudden question, watching Laxus for a split second with a frown. Laxus couldn't exactly blame him, it wasn't the type of question that you expect from someone still drying themselves after washing. But Laxus needed the answer and didn't know how long it would be until Freed eventually left for the morning.

"I mean, I really do appreciate it, don't get me wrong," Laxus continued, quickly. "But, you don't exactly have to do this. And if we get found out and the police are called, you could get in trouble too."

Freed seemed to consider this for a moment. He closed the notebook he was working on, turned towards Laxus so that he could better maintain eye contact, and had a small look of seriousness on his face. Seeing that this was going to be a real answer and that he would need to pay attention, Laxus quickly reached for his shirt, buttoned it up and sat on the bottom bunk of his bed. Freed let him do that before he started to speak.

"Laxus, what is your opinion on the legal system?" Freed eventually said.

"Well," Laxus begun, blind sighted by the question. "I don't really think about it."

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, and I've concluded its god awful," Freed said with certainty, and Laxus didn't reply. He hadnt expected such a strong denouncement. "The principles work well, but its flawed. Inherently so, and I have multiple objections as to how it works.

"From what I've seen, men are judged on things that are trivial. Be it influence, money, the family they come from; it's all relatively insignificant to how good a man really is. Society disagrees with this, and these judgments are somehow implemented into law. If a man has influence, they can talk their way out of punishment. If a man has money, they can buy their way out of repercussions. If a family has power, the child can do whatever they want. It's ridiculous."

Laxus glanced up at Freed, a small frown on his face. Freed sounded genuinely angered by his observations, and it was a side of the writer that Laxus had yet to see.

"These petty prejudices somehow amount to crime, and it is unfair. Punishments greatly outweigh crimes," Freed sighed, calming himself. "What you've done amounts to stealing, nothing more. Yet if you were found, the authorities would disagree. Whatever punishment they gave you would outweigh your actions tenfold, and they would justify this via a flawed legal system. I didn't see this as fair.

"Furthermore, and please don't take offense to this, the inevitable debt you would go through would have crippled someone of your financial stature," Freed glanced down. "They would disguise revenge through repercussions. Not only would they insist you go to jail, but they would also write up a bill for everything you hadn't paid for. They wouldn't have any records of everything you've eaten or interacted with, and they would use this ambiguity against you. The debt would be astronomical, and unfair. I saw a way to avoid that happening to you, and I did."

Laxus was stunned into silence.

Honestly, he hadnt expected much of an answer from the writer. And he certainly hadnt expected the answer to be that! He thought maybe Freed was some form of socialite, and this was something he could use to brag to his high-status friends: the whole thing would be an act of pity to make him look charitable. It sounded ridiculous in hindsight, but at least it made sense.

But this also made sense. Freed was a man of principles, as Laxus had expected, and was honest with them. He saw an injustice and corrected it. And Laxus was more than happy with that reason. Furthermore, the nagging sensation that came with not understanding Freed lessened slightly.

"You erm, you seem pretty…" Laxus began, frowning. "You seem pretty pissed off about it, honestly."

"I suppose I am," Freed laughed, and a hint of bitterness snuck into his voice. "I've had instances with the law myself, from time to time. I was lucky enough that, as I stated, money and influence can help in such a situation. But not everybody is so lucky, and I think that is unfair."

"I ain't gonna disagree with that," Laxus grinned a little. "Sounds like you get in trouble with the law more than I do. Didn't expect that."

"I'm a man of many layers, Laxus," Freed laughed a little. "And one such layer is getting incredibly tired of a housewife who seems insistent on touching my upper arms and chest whenever possible. Including when her husband is around, who seems to have taken a disliking to me."

"Can't guess why," Laxus smirked. "Just tell her to fuck off if it's bothering you."

"I've considered it, but I'm trapped here with her for the rest of the week. It's best not to ruffle feathers," Freed sighed a little. "And in the spirit of that, I shouldn't keep her waiting. We have coffee scheduled together, which will be divine."

Laxus laughed at the sarcasm. "Have fun."

Freed made a non-committal noise, straightened out his clothing, and left the cabin. Laxus reached for the book that he had nearly completed, which was left on the desk. He opened it and started to read, taking note of the lightness on his chest now that he had a better understanding of Freed. He wasn't being patronising, he didn't have some kind of hidden agenda in his actions, he was just a man who had strong opinions and stuck by them.

That was a man Laxus could respect. And certainly one he could trust.

* * *

**_Day Three: Evening_ **

Laxus sat at the desk, tapping his fingers against the oak with a contemplative look on his face. Sitting before him was the first novel in the Fairy Tail series – which Laxus had finished – alongside the unopened letter addressed to Freed. It was the latter item that was bothering Laxus, causing him to chew on his lower lip.

He had taken notice of the letter after he finished the novel. He had placed the suitcase onto the desk so that he could better see the titles of the other books in the series – he wasn't sure which was the second book in the series, after all – and it was then he saw the letter.

The fact it was still sealed bothered Laxus.

Freed didn't seem like the man to prolong things when he didn't need to. He had clearly received this letter before boarding the train as it was addressed to a hotel in Athens, and yet he had left it untouched. It wasn't as if Freed could have forgotten about it, either, as it was in the middle of the desk that Freed sat at almost constantly. The only way it could be more obvious to him if it were hanging above the doorframe every time he went through it.

It was none of his business, but Laxus was bothered none the less.

"If you thought any harder, I believe I could actually hear your brain working," Freed commented from the washroom, carefully sliding the razor against his neck.

"Just thought it was nice how much effort you're putting into your date with the old woman."

"I wrote a murder mystery once, Laxus. The weapon was a razorblade. I could recreate the murder quite easily if provoked enough, so don't push me," Freed said, and Laxus barked out a laugh. "And she is no longer an issue, I hope. Her husband seems to be hovering around her too much for her to corner me anymore."

"So what have you got planned for tonight then?" Laxus asked, leaning back against the chair.

"An elderly gentleman asked to have a drink with me. I thought it rude to turn it down," Freed explained. "And as subtle as that was, I did notice how you tried to guide the conversation away from what was bothering you to what I was doing."

"It's honestly not something you need to worry about," Laxus assured him.

There was no reply, and Laxus glanced to the washroom where Freed was patting his clean-shaven face with a hand towel. When he was done, he looked towards Laxus with a slight hitch in his eyebrow. Laxus kept the gaze, almost challenging him, to which Freed turned to face Laxus front on. They stared at each other for a moment later, until Laxus broke. He blamed his lack of a regular meal for his failure. Also, Freed's regular clothing made the man look deceptively slight, whereas looking at the man sans shirt revealed a rather strong physique.

The difference of his expectations and the reality created something of a distraction.

"If you must know, it's about this," Laxus raised the letter so that Freed could see it.

"And that's been bothering you? May I ask why?"

"You just don't seem like the kind of man to put off reading a letter. And you clearly know about it, so…" Laxus trailed off. "Just ignore me, it's not like I'm gonna read it so there's no need to concern yourself about it."

Freed chuckled a little and reached for the shirt that was handing over the clothes horse beside him. Laxus watched him with curiosity as he dressed himself, knowing that he would eventually speak again; the chuckle was one way that Freed continued a conversation. Laxus wondered when exactly he picked up on that piece of knowledge about the man. He supposed it was natural given the close proximity they were forced into. Especially when Laxus had spent so much time trying to understand him.

"The reason I haven't opened it is because I know exactly what it says," Freed explained. He didn't elaborate, which seemed unlike him.

"You psychic or something?" Laxus commented, hopefully prompting for a further response.

"I'm afraid not, I just recognise my publisher's handwriting," Freed sounded resigned. "Before I left, I sent him the draft manuscript for one of the short stories I wish to publish. That is undoubtedly his rejection letter."

"You don't know that," Laxus frowned. "Not unless you've read it and resealed it, for some reason."

"I can assure you, I do," Freed insisted.

Laxus didn't like this side of Freed. It was oddly resigned, as if Freed had accepted some fate that he wasn't happy with. From what he had seen of the man, Laxus didn't think Freed would ever sit back and accept something he didn't think was fair. Hell: he had essentially assisted someone in breaking the law just to act on his own opinion on the law. So this side of him was… unpleasant to view.

"Open it," Laxus demanded. "If you don't, I will."

Freed thought for a moment, before taking the letter from Laxus' hand. "I regret telling you to treat us as equals."

Laxus smirked a little at the joke, watching as Freed pulled a letter-opener from the desk and slid it through the envelope. He pulled the letter from the envelope and quickly read it, eyes flittering from side to side pretty quickly. Although it was a small action, Laxus could see Freed's posture get slightly less strict. His shoulders hunched a fraction, his face tilted down into a small frown, and he lowered the letter and placed it on the desk. Laxus felt a pang of guilt in forcing the man to read it now.

"As I assumed, it was rejected," Freed said, voice a little downtrodden.

"Did the guy at least give you any notes so you can change what he doesn't like?" Laxus asked, frowning again.

"In a way. He essentially said that he wouldn't publish anything of the sort, and that if I wished to maintain my contract with him I will write a replacement novella to his taste, and I would do so quickly."

Laxus' brow furrowed; although he hadnt read anything of Freed's he must be good at what he did if he had a tour around Europe celebrating his writing. To have a publisher so openly deny some of his writing seemed unlikely. Even a bad story could be made good if written well enough, and Freed must be good at writing to have made such a name for himself.

Without thinking, he glanced to the letter sitting on the desk. Although he didn't intend to read all of it, quite a few words had stuck out to him. Disgusting, perverse and blasphemous were the most obvious; all scrawled in ink. He looked to Freed with furrowed brows.

"It was my first attempt at writing a romance," Freed said as an explanation. "Apparently he didn't enjoy that."

"Did you write the woman trying to fuck a rat or something?" Laxus asked; who could be that offended by a romantic story?

"Given his reaction, I can see why you might think that," Freed sighed, folding the letter and placing it in the envelope again. "Nothing that controversial, at least in my opinion. I imagine his objection comes from the fact it is a relationship between two men, rather than a man and a woman."

Laxus froze a little at that, eyes flicking back to Freed. He had adorned his jacket again and was looking at himself in the mirror; Laxus felt as though he was purposefully avoiding his eye. He didn't say anything, not exactly sure what he could say.

That explained why the publisher was so against the novella, then.

"Well, I should go and meet the gentleman for a drink I suppose," Freed sighed, voice still somewhat downtrodden. "Fair warning, I intend to get drunk. I apologise if I bother you when I return."

Freed was gone a moment later, and all Laxus could do look at the door that was closed behind him.

* * *

**_Day Four: Morning_ **

Sleep had somewhat alluded Laxus throughout the night.

There had been a few reasons for that. One being that, true to his word, Freed had gotten drunk throughout the night. He had returned to the cabin late, knocking into something that had awoken Laxus with a start. Freed must not have noticed, as he followed his actions with a slew of cuss words that could make a sailor blush. If he weren't so tired and groggy from the sleep, Laxus would have found it pretty funny.

The other thing keeping him up was Freed's rejected novella. A romance between two men wasn't something many men would write; not unless they wanted to be in such a relationship. Which of course suggested Freed wanted to be in such a relationship.

A fact that should bother Laxus. It didn't.

But it really should have! He was sharing a cabin with a man who… a man of his _persuasion_. He had stood half naked in front of this man, and Freed had done the same. The two had entered into something of a routine that, if performed by a man and a woman, could perhaps be considered domestic. Despite barely knowing each other, they had gotten close to each other.

He had gotten close to a man who perhaps was interested in… in buggering other men!

It should bother him. Some people would say it should repulse him. It didn't.

Perhaps it was because he was indebted to Freed for keeping him here without causing any trouble. Perhaps it was because he and Freed had become something of friends, and he didn't see his potential preferences as something important. Or perhaps it was just because he couldn't yet be certain if Freed did feel that way towards men or not, and Laxus allowed himself to be in denial.

He needed to speak to Freed about this.

"Hey Freed," Laxus said before he could stop himself. "Can I ask you something?"

Freed looked up from his desk, where he was cupping a mug of steaming coffee. That, and the barely visible bags under his eyes, were the only things showing that Freed had drunk himself into a stupor the night before. If he had a hangover, he was hiding it pretty damn well.

"Well, it's about what you told me last night, I suppose," Laxus said, voice awkward. He hadnt planned what he was going to say. "Are you, well, are you a…"

He made a tilting motion with his head, hoping that Freed understood was the gesture meant. Freed seemed to tense up at the question, his jaw clenching a little and his grip on the mug tightening. The blonde didn't dare say anything else.

"Yes, Mr Dreyar, I am a homosexual if that's what you're so subtly trying to indicate," His voice was suddenly sharp and had an edge, much like it did when they first met. Only this time it had acid behind it.

Laxus didn't like that. Nor did he like the use of his surname. But he couldn't say anything.

Freed had just admitted it. There was no pause or hesitance, he just said it. Being, as Freed stated, a homosexual was something that was usually kept behind closed doors. As Laxus understood it, men of that ilk would frequent bars hidden deep in cities, and act with subtlety as not to be seen by those who didn't believe they should act how they did. But Freed hadnt done any of that, he had simply said it, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

And, as much as Laxus wanted to reply in some way, no words could be formed.

"And if you have any issue with that, Sir, then I should remind you of the very reason I chose to harbour you here rather than contacting the authorities," Freed continued, voice now almost venomous.

Laxus wanted to say something. To assure Freed that he didn't mind who's bed he decided to lie in. But again, his throat was dry, and any hope of speaking died.

His silence seemed to antagonise Freed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I should go," Freed snapped, now looking back to Laxus. "And if you find yourself at all repulsed by what you have found out, then please speak to the conductor and see if you can find a room more comfortable for you. I'm sure he'll be most accommodating."

Freed stood up and left the cabin a moment later, saying nothing else. Laxus stared at the door, before letting hie eyes stray to the waistcoat and jacket resting on the clothes horse. This was the first time Freed had left the cabin without wearing them; the realisation left a dull sense in his stomach.

They didn't speak for the rest of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all. I hope you liked the first part and enjoy reading the ending. Just to warn you there’s a smut scene, which is skippable. It starts at the headding ‘Day Seven - Night’ if you want to avoid it.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a [Tumblr.](https://eryiss.tumblr.com/)  
> 

**_Day Five: Morning_ **

When Laxus woke, there was a ball of guilt in his stomach.

Whatever Freed wanted to do with men was none of his business, and it was unimportant. What was important was that he and Freed were friends – or at least on good terms with each other – and Laxus had been a jackass. His silence had led to Freed to believe Laxus judged him for his preference, and that wasn't right.

Worse still, Freed had faced rejection on his novella due to it being a romance between two men. He must have already been feeling shitty already, and Laxus' silence would have been another kick to the teeth.

He had acted like a dick and needed to make amends.

Blinking open his eyes he looked to the side and his guilt increased tenfold. Sitting on the desk was a steaming bowl of porridge, three sliced of toast and a singular glass of orange juice. Freed had left him the breakfast he'd had throughout the week despite their argument. So he was still making good on his promise to look after him, not even punishing him slightly by lessening how much he was going to eat, and it made Laxus feel sick with his guilt.

Laxus jumped down from the bunk, stretching his back as he paced the room slightly. The first thing he needed to do was to apologise, then assure Freed that he didn't care about his homosexuality. Hopefully that would at least be a start at making things right.

As he paced, he heard the sound of water sloshing behind the closed door of the washroom.

So Freed was cleaning, rather than having left for the morning. That was good, that way he wouldn't have to wait until the night for Freed to return so he could apologise. If Freed had another day without him, then he would have more time to believe Laxus thought his lifestyle was wrong and his resentment would grow.

Although hearing Freed moving in the washroom made Laxus nervous.

He was never good at apologies. But this had to be different, because he truly was apologetic. In the past, most of his apologies were either because someone had forced him to say sorry or because he had a social obligation to do so. With this, he just had to be honest.

After a few moments, where Laxus nervously wrung his hands together, the door to the washroom opened. Laxus snapped his head towards Freed, who was fully dressed in his waistcoat and jacket, clearly intending to leave their cabin as quickly as possible. Freed hadnt yet been self-conscious about changing his clothes in front of Laxus other than in their first day together, so the fact he had dressed himself in the washroom was clearly related to their argument the day before. It made Laxus feel a little dull in his stomach.

"Wait," Laxus said, standing up and putting a hand on Freed's chest to stop him from leaving. "I need to talk to you."

"Make it quick then," Freed snapped icily. "I'm surprised you can bare to touch me. You might think I'm infectious or something absurd of the sort."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk about. What we spoke about last night, I mean," Laxus grinded his teeth, he should have planned this out. Freed looked at him expectantly, and impatiently. "Look, the fact that you're…"

"Gay," Freed spoke clearly. "I'm gay, Laxus. You can say it."

"The fact that you're gay, it ain't my business," Laxus continued, trying to maintain eye contact. He had never been good with eye contact. "Where you wanna put your dick… it ain't anything to do with me. Women, men, it's your choice. And let's be honest, I'm not in a place to judge you on anything. I snuck onto a fucking train and you didn't judge me."

"Correct," Freed said, still a little hostile. Laxus removed his hand from Freed's chest and sighed.

"I'm sorry," He said clearly, looking to the ground now. "You're a good man, and you've been more than decent to me. And this isn't me scared about you speaking to someone and getting me kicked off, do that if you want. It's your choice. But, I just want you to know that I am sorry for not being better to you."

Freed's posture changed a little. Laxus hadnt noticed it before, but Freed had been tense. Not out of fear – he couldn't imagine Freed being scared – but out of restraint. Perhaps he would have punched Laxus if he said the wrong thing. Perhaps he would have deserved it.

"Its fine," Freed said, and Laxus deflated.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I accept your apology," Freed sent him a small smile. "If you can believe it, your reaction was probably one of the best I've gotten; other gay men not withstanding of course."

"Seriously?" Laxus frowned. "I've been feeling shit about it, how much worse could it have been?"

"I've been beaten, spat at, yelled at. Most recently I got that letter from my publisher," Freed laughed a little, and it was clearly cynical. "It's a funny world we live in, where the best reaction I can get for telling someone about the gender I wish to love is a confused and somewhat judgemental silence."

That made Laxus feel like shit. He had no idea how much it must hurt Freed.

"But that's the reality of the world, and I can't change that," Freed sighed. "Speaking of unfortunate realities, we had some new passengers aboard and society dictates I must be polite to them."

The speed in which Freed changed topics almost gave Laxus whiplash. It highlighted just how well-versed Freed was in keeping his sexuality – and the feelings and opinions that came with it – under the surface of his personality. It was honesty jarring.

Laxus stood out of Freed's way, looking down at the floor again; perhaps he was ashamed of himself, or just shocked at the reality of Freed's life. The writer chuckled a little at the reaction, gave Laxus a solitary pat on the shoulder as if to say he understood what Laxus was going through, and started to walk to the door of their cabin.

"I really am sorry, Freed," Laxus said a final time.

"I know you are," Freed said, almost kindly. "Good day, Laxus."

* * *

**_Day Five: Evening_ **

"I wanna tell you everything."

Laxus was lying in his bunk, looking up at the wooden ceiling. Freed was in the bed below him, and the room was dark without the candle or sunlight illuminating it. Laxus had no idea what the time was, exactly, but could assume it had been hours since the sun had set. The only reason he knew Freed was still awake was because he could hear him moving slightly in the bed.

Throughout the day, Laxus had been thinking. Freed had been open with him, about something that had gotten him injured and degraded in the past no less. And Laxus was still holding onto why he was on the train in the first place; something comparatively inconsequential.

"If you're ready," Freed replied slowly.

"Yeah, I think I am," Laxus nodded to himself. "I don't know if you wanna get a notepad or something…"

"I can remember," Freed assured him. "Speak when you feel comfortable."

Again, Laxus nodded. He took a moment to try and arrange his thoughts, wanting to be as honest and as open Freed had been with him. The story as to why Laxus needed to get on the train was literally the only thing Freed wanted in payment for becoming an accomplice in Laxus' crime, he needed to be as clear headed as he could. Out of respect for the man who had saved him.

"I guess, in a way, it started when I was a teenager," Laxus began. "I lived in Paris, with my grandfather. It was just the two of us most of the time, my mom had died and my dad… we'll get to him. So basically my grandfather raised me, and I had a pretty good life with him, but we argued a lot. It got worse when I was around sixteen.

"My dad had gotten in contact with me, we sent letters to each other a lot. Gramps found out and went insane, started yelling at me. Telling me to cut him out of his life, that he's a lowlife and scum. Didn't believe him, of course. Which only made things worse."

Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't like being reminded of the last time he saw his grandfather; the screaming matches were something he wasn't proud of.

"I ignored my grandad and kept in contact with my dad. He seemed like this perfect guy. He was rich and powerful, made himself out to be one of the most influential people in Athens," Laxus sighed. "And of course I fucking lapped that up like an idiot. I lived with this weird old man and then my dad showed up, acting like he was this man of power who everyone respected. Made his life look perfect and I wanted to be involved in it."

"That's understandable," Freed replied, mainly to show he was listening.

"I guess," Laxus sighed. "Me and Gramps argued more and more. I got closer to my dad, complained about Gramps to him, and then one day he showed up. Out of the blue, he was on the doorstep. Some rich guy dressed in designer clothes and expensive watches just was there. He seemed charming, like a good dad, so of course I fell for his bullshit.

"Gramps came home, went fucking mad. Tried to kick him out, say he wasn't welcome and to stop contacting me. I backed my dad up, like a fucking dickhead. And clearly my dad saw this as an opportunity, because this was the height of me and Gramps' arguing, he offered to take me with him."

Laxus sighed. He remembered how hopeful he had been. Ivan seemed to promise him the world, and he stupidly believed him.

"And I said yes," He said, eyes closing. "Gramps begged me not to, said Ivan was lying to me, but I wouldn't believe him. I packed up my shit, got on the train the same day."

"I assume," Freed said cautiously. "That it wasn't like you hoped."

"Fuck no," Laxus almost laughed at the idea. "He wasn't anything fucking like what he said. He was just a crappy wannabe thug, sucking up to anyone who could help him. And he was in debt to the Tartaros family, a group of hardcore gangsters who fucking ran Greece. And it wasn't like he owed him some spare change; he'd taken fucking thousands from them. Which they wanted back.

"That's why he got me in Greece, actually. He needed money, and I was a way to get it. Started off as menial work, heavy lifting and crap. Then it got worse, like selling guns and drugs to other thugs, and booze, during prohibition. He even tried to whore me out to any girl who'd pay."

"Jesus," Freed whispered.

"That was the limit for me," Laxus sighed. "I didn't wanna do any of that shit, but I wasn't going to fuck old women just to get him out of trouble. I was sixteen for fucks sake!"

Laxus took a breath to calm himself. The resentment he had for his father still ignited anytime he thought about him. Who fucking pimped their own son out, when they were a kid no less? That was just who Ivan was. Even his first letter to Laxus had a clear agenda, Laxus realised later in life. He was asking how comfortable he was with his grandfather and if he was living well; if Laxus had spoken about any riches Ivan would have no doubt tried to guilt him into giving them to him.

"I told him he couldn't make me do any of the shit he wanted me to do," Laxus continued after a moment. "He went insane at me. Said that I would do exactly what he said, and that everything I had in Athens was because of him, and he could take it away. I called his bluff, and he did. Threw me out with nothing but what I was wearing."

"Shit," Freed cussed, and Laxus laughed.

"Honestly, as shit as it was, I was glad. I didn't have much to begin with, and all he had to offer me was a place to live, so I didn't miss much. And I couldn't live with him anymore," Laxus sighed. "It was shit, for a while. Had to sleep on the streets, got mistaken for a drunk. But I eventually got some work, it was at a brothel as a guard, but landlord gave me a room in payment. And then I just grew into my own man from there."

"It sounds like it was a blessing in disguise then," Freed commented. "Your father kicking you out, I mean."

"Oh definitely," Laxus nodded. "Anyway, I'll actually get to why I'm on the train. So, yesterday I got a letter from Paris. I hadnt spoken to Gramps since I left, so it was weird. Turns out, Gramps is sick. Pretty badly, actually."

"I'm sorry," Freed said, and it sounded genuine.

"Thanks," Laxus nodded to himself again. "The letter was from the doctor, and it explained what's wrong with him. He probably won't die from it, but life ain't gonna be easy for him. His mobility is fucking ruined, he won't be able to get his own food and look after himself for much longer. It's pretty shit. And, I know we argued a lot, but I love the old fucker. And if he's going through hell, I'm not gonna let him do it alone. So that's why I need to get to Paris as soon as I can."

"That's an admirable stance to take," Freed commented, and Laxus chuckled.

"It would be if I hadnt basically spat in his face the last time I saw him," Laxus grinned a little; he wasn't sure why.

"I won't write about it," Freed said suddenly, and Laxus frowned. "I didn't know that it was so personal, if I'm honest. It would feel as though I'm taking advantage of you if I were to publish the intimate details of your life."

"No," Laxus said quickly. "I've gotta pay you back for your help somehow, I don't mind."

"Well, I suppose we can discuss it at some point," Freed concluded, before speaking again. "I'm glad you feel comfortable speaking to me like this."

"It's nice to have someone to talk to," Laxus admitted, flushing a little. "I've… I've been on my own for a while now. Even if the situation is pretty unusual, it's nice to have someone who I can talk to about this shit. I missed it."

"Well, at least for the rest of the week, I'll be here to listen."

"Thanks, Freed," Laxus smiled a little. "G'night."

"Goodnight, Laxus."

* * *

**_Day Six: Morning_ **

Laxus woke with a start. There was a loud banging coming from the door to their cabin, clearly someone knocking who wasn't willing to be patient. Laxus' eyes shot open and he looked to Freed, who had just stood up from where he was sleeping. They looked at each other for a moment, not sure of what to do. Nobody had knocked on the door as of yet, why they were doing it now?

"Mr Justine, open this door at once," An authoritative voice demanded, and Freed winced.

"The conductor," He explained with a whisper. "Get in the washroom."

Laxus nodded and climbed down the small ladder of the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. He closed the door to the washroom with a soft click and leant his ear against it in an attempt to listen to whatever was happening. He felt a ball of nerves form in him as Freed opened the door.

"I must say, I think this behaviour is completely unacceptable," Freed said sternly, and Laxus could hear footsteps. "This is my private quarters and you have no right to disrupt me in this manner."

"Well, Mr Justine, I have reason to believe you're harbouring a stowaway."

Laxus' eyes widened, and panic flooded through him. He rested his forehead against the wall as quietly as he could. This was it; he was fucked. It wasn't as if Freed could physically stop them from opening the door, not without being suspicious enough to show he was hiding something.

"Excuse me?" Freed said, acting shocked. "Why would you think that, exactly."

"One of our maids came to your room this morning to make sure any laundry was collected. When she entered your room, she saw that there was someone sleeping in the top bunk of the bed," The conductor snapped. "And by the looks of the sheets, she seems to be correct."

"I made it explicitly clear that my room was not to be entered without my direct permission," Freed almost shouted, now sounding genuinely angry.

"And now I can see why, Mr Justine," The conductor said replied with as much hostility. "I'm sure you're aware that smuggling someone into a train is a serious crime. More so when this train travels across multiple countries."

Laxus snapped. They were threatening Freed, and it wasn't right.

The blonde opened the door to the washroom. Both Freed and the conductor snapped their heads towards Laxus at the sound of the door opening. Freed looked at him like he was mad for revealing himself, as if Freed had been handling the situation. Despite the confidence that Freed portrayed, Laxus knew what was going to happen. They would find him, and either both of them would be punished, or just Laxus. One outcome would be better than the other.

"He didn't smuggle me in," Laxus said before anyone could speak. "I snuck on without him. He didn't know I was here until we left the station in Athens."

"And would you like to explain why he wouldn't inform us of a stowaway?" The conductor said with venom in his tone, face red. He clearly wasn't happy with the situation.

"Because you would have police waiting for him at the next train station," Freed said before Laxus could speak. "The punishment would greatly outweigh the crime, if it can even be considered that. I wouldn't accept that."

"Fucks sake Freed," Laxus whispered. "Saying that shit incriminates you."

"The stowaway's intelligent," The conductor muttered sarcastically. "And you're correct, the police will be called and waiting for your little friend when we arrive in the next station later today. I imagine they will want to talk to you as well, Mr Justine."

Laxus deflated; he wouldn't get to Paris now. He had no idea what damn country he was in, let alone the actual town or city they would end up in, so there was no chance of him finding a way to his grandfather. And that was being optimistic, it was more likely that he would be locked in the closest jail until he could work off the money he would owe. He was fucked.

"Now, the two of you can either follow me to my office for the rest of the day, or I can have my man take you through in handcuffs," The conductor continued. "What would you rather-"

"What if I paid?" Freed interrupted.

"Excuse me?" The conductor snapped his head towards Freed again.

"Your only legitimate legal complaint is that Laxus didn't pay to be here, correct," Freed said, voice stern and almost authoritative. Laxus looked at him with a frown. "If I were to pay for his ticket now, then you would have nothing to be concerned about, correct?"

"Well…"

"Legally speaking, the problem would be over. There is nothing stopping him from paying at a slightly later date," Freed continued, eyes determined. "And I know your boss. Personally, too, as it goes. It's how I was able to get a private cabin. He would rather have another paying customer than a controversy, so allowing me to pay now is the better option, no?"

Laxus frowned, not knowing if this would work. When he looked over to the conductor, he looked enraged, and Freed was smirking. Laxus then understood what was happening; the conductor wanted to have him kicked off the train – most likely to fuel some sort of ego – and Freed had quickly come up with an idea to stop that. And apparently the conductor was trying and failing to come up with a way to counter Freed.

"I should warn you, Mr Justine, that it won't be cheap," The conductor eventually said. "We have to make sure we are in profit, and we can't know for sure how much he has cost us since he boarded. So, the bill will consist of a full price ticket from our first stop to our last, it will include the costs of three meals a day, as well as making accommodations for any miscellaneous costs that may arise."

"Oh for heaven's sake," Freed complained. "You're clearly taking advantage of our situation to take more than you are owed."

"Much like he would have if we hadn't found him, no?" The conductor taunted, and Freed clenched his jaw.

"I don't have that much money in cash on me," Freed said quietly, anger flaring in him.

"Well, that is a shame," The conductor was smiling wide now. "So, if you'd like to follow me-"

"But I do have proposition," Freed said before the conductor finished. "I'm a writer, as you know, and I write under the pseudonym Albion Raijin. You've heard of that name, correct?"

Laxus' eyes widened a little at Freed's admission. The name was familiar, and when Laxus looked towards the closed book on the desk, and the name was printed onto it under the title. So Freed had written the books that Laxus was enjoying? That… made sense, actually. That would be why Freed wanted to know what he thought. It also explained why he had a copy of each book in the series with him; it would have been something to do with the press tour.

"Well, yes, of course I have," The conductor grunted. "But I hardly see how that matters."

"I have a book being published later this year. It's been predicted that it will sell well. My proposal is that a percentage of the profits made from this book for the first year will be sent towards your employer. Within a month Laxus' debt will be paid; by the end of the year it will be more than fulfilled."

"And how do I know you won't deny such a deal existed the moment you leave this train?" The conductor crossed his arms. "You've proven yourself not to be trustworthy, Mr Justine."

"There's a lawyer aboard, a Miss Heartfilia. She can write a contract that would enforce this deal, I'm sure," Freed said with certainty. He looked at the conductor, and then he sighed. "I'm sure she could also write a clause that would direct a further percentage directly into your wallet."

There was a moment of silence.

"Five percent," The conductor muttered.

"No," Freed stood firm. "The most you'll get is three."

Laxus looked at Freed in disbelief.

He was just giving away his money for Laxus' sake. The worst punishment Freed could get for 'harbouring' Laxus would be a fine, he was rich and could pay bail after all. The fine wouldn't be nearly as much as he was willing to give away just to keep Laxus on the train. It was… kind. So kind. It was perhaps more kindness than Laxus had been given in years. It felt unearned.

"Freed," Laxus muttered. "You don't need to do this."

"Quiet," Freed demanded. "Your grandfather is a good man, correct?"

"Yes," Laxus mumbled.

"Then you should be there for him," Freed said, before looking at the conductor again. "Do we have a deal?"

The conductor took a moment to think again. "I'll try to find Miss Heartfilia."

The portly man turned on his heel and left the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Freed ended up closing it, and Laxus sat on the bottom bunk with his head in his hands. He deflated as relief flooded through him; both the anxiety of their conversation with the conductor and the underlying stress Laxus had felt since the moment he entered the train station in Athens leaving him. It was an odd feeling; he couldn't define it.

"You did not need to do that," Laxus said into his hands, looking up to Freed. "That's a fuck load of money you just gave away for a guy you don't know. That's really generous. You didn't… why did you do that?"

"Most of my family have disowned me, after they found out about my sexuality," Freed explained, sitting at the desk. "The only person who didn't was my uncle. He died, and I wasn't there to say goodbye to him. Thinking of it makes me ache, and if I can make sure it doesn't happen to you then I will."

"Well, thanks," Laxus didn't know what else to say. "So… You're the author, huh? You were pretty hard on him- well, yourself I guess. I didn't see you as the self-loathing kind."

"I'm not," Freed chuckled. "I just found it amusing you hadnt figured it out and wanted to play up to it."

"So you just did it to amuse yourself?" Laxus laughed when Freed nodded. "You are…. the oddest man I think I've met."

"I take that as a compliment," Freed smiled. "I assume you'll be looking forward to leaving the cabin and eating three meals a day again."

"You have no damn idea," Laxus groaned at the thought.

"Well, with how vastly we're overpaying for our time here, from this point on we will both live and eat like kings," Freed smirked, and Laxus copied the action. So this was how Freed was going to get this money back? Laxus could more than get on board with it.

"Looking forward to it," The blonde grinned.

* * *

**_Day Six: Evening._ **

"This actually doesn't fit me that badly," Laxus said as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He was wearing a suit that didn't belong to him fit with a waistcoat, pocket watch and tie. Freed had taken it from one of the suitcases stored in the luggage cart, giving it to Laxus so that he could be dressed correctly as they went to dinner.

When Laxus had asked why Freed had a suit of this size, he had explained that, while in Greece, he had collected a selection of clothing for his friend Bickslow. Bickslow was apparently a fashion-conscious man who knew of a designer who only sold his clothes in Greece and he had all but begged Freed to get him as many suits as his trunk could contain. He was also relatively similar in stature to Laxus, meaning that the blonde could wear these clothes without looking absurd. They were a little snug, but okay.

And Laxus was glad to be wearing something other than the ratty outfit he'd worn over the past few weeks.

"High class clothing rather suits you," Freed commented as he began to tie his hair. "You should consider investing in some suits of that type."

"If you've got a way for me to pay for it, then by all means," Laxus chuckled. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "I'm a little anxious about going out there, if I'm honest."

"Why so?" Freed asked with a small frown.

"Everyone's gonna know who I am," Laxus sighed. "The stowaway bastard who got caught sneaking around. They're all gonna be fucking looking at me – judging me – and I don't know if I can handle it."

"Well, that is ridiculous," Freed said, almost sternly. "You have just as much right as anyone to be in that dining cart. If they disagree, to hell with their opinion. You're here with me, not them."

"I guess but…" Laxus sighed. "It's fucking embarrassing, okay. I'm a charity case in a train full of snobs."

"You are not a charity case, I can assure you of that," Freed said, voice firm and unwilling to accept any other interpretation of the situation. "And after dealing with these people for six days, I can also assure you that they are nothing. A mess of socialites, idiots with money, and inflated egos. Their opinions are redundant, as they don't have the intellectual capacity to understand anything that they haven't lived through. And for the few exceptions to those rules, they will undoubtedly find you charming."

"Do you find me charming?" Laxus asked. He didn't know why, exactly.

"Of course," Freed replied honestly. "You're different to most people I've met. They consider a minor tax increase as an afront to their human rights. You, on the other hand, are a real person with his feet firmly attached to the ground."

"You sound pissed off at the people you know," Laxus laughed, and Freed sighed.

"Some of them are tolerable. Others try to commission me to write a letter of complaint to the tax office because they lost a minuscule amount of their yearly earnings," Freed smirked a little. "He was not happy when I wrote perhaps the most sarcastic letter in history and then demanded my payment."

"Sounds like a good read," Laxus grinned.

"I've framed it and hung it above my fireplace. It's one of my most prized possessions," Freed grinned. "If you have time, I could perhaps show it to you when we get to Paris."

Laxus smiled a little at the invitation. He hadn't considered the possibility that he and Freed would remain in contact after they left the train, but if they were both going to be living in Paris then there was probably no reason as to why they couldn't. Even if it was something as little as a monthly trip to a café together, Laxus would probably enjoy it.

"Now," Freed continued, voice harsh. "Your anxiety about this is worthless. If any of those people do have a problem, they wouldn't dare say it in fear of making a scene. So as long as you don't allow yourself to be affected by it, it's not there."

"I guess that's true," Laxus nodded, though wasn't convinced.

"Of course it is," Freed nodded. "You ready?"

Laxus nodded, and Freed left the cabin with the blonde following him. It was weird to leave the cabin after being trapped inside of it for nearly six full days. It was almost therapeutic for the blonde to walk down the corridor of the sleeper cart, both in that it allowed him to see things that he wasn't already incredibly familiar with, as well as allowing him to properly stretch his legs. He hadnt realised how cooped up he had felt in the cabin. Though, the cabin was a lot more appealing when he didn't have a choice about leaving it.

Freed led him through the train and to the dining cart, which was partially filled with people. Laxus hadnt taken time to appreciate just how lavish the train was when he first entered it. The cart was decorated with gold ornaments, it had waiters pouring expensive wine, and had a general feeling of wealth.

When the two men entered, a fair amount of people looked towards them. The stowaway and the famous author; what other reaction could Laxus have hoped for?

Freed didn't seem affected by the gazes and glances they were receiving, instead walking through the rows of tables to one at the end of the cart. Freed sat at the table and motioned for Laxus to do the same with the chair opposite him. Laxus did so, wondering if Freed had purposefully made it so that Laxus had his back to the rest of the dining cart. If he did, Laxus was thankful of the action, because he did feel more comfortable without seeing people looking at him.

"Take your time with the menu," Freed said, tapping his cigar against the case before lighting it.

"You know what you're ordering?" Laxus asked, frowning a little.

"The menu is the same every night, I've become quite familiar with it," Freed explained, beckoning a waiter over. The waiter filled both of their glasses with red wine.

Laxus quickly looked over the menu, to see a number of luxury dishes for him to try. His stomach growled at the prospect of eating any of them; a small part of Laxus wondered if he would have had time to try all of them if he had been found out earlier in the week. He didn't say that, of course, as Freed was being kind enough to pay for all of this out of his own pocket. Complaining about not getting enough luxury food would just be too far.

"Is it nice to be outside of the room?" Freed asked when Laxus placed the menu down, having made his choice.

"It's great," Laxus smiled a little, taking a sip of the wine. It didn't taste that different from the crap wine that he served to drunks in Athens. "I think if I had to stay in there any longer I might have gone a little stir crazy."

"Really, I thought a man of your size would have loved being trapped in a relatively small space," Freed chuckled, placing the cigar on an ashtray and taking a sip of the wine. "And I'm sure you would have managed if you had to. You survived off half of a breakfast for your entire daily intake; you're clearly quite a resilient man."

"Thanks," Laxus ducked his head a little. "But it was more than half of the breakfast. Thanks for that, by the way. Especially when I was acting like a tool, you didn't need to do it."

Freed paused, looking at Laxus inquisitively. "You have issues with taking compliments, don't you Laxus?"

Laxus paused for a moment, taken aback by his observation. One of the many waiters approached them before Laxus could reply to what Freed said, and the author gave his order without blinking: a beef wellington with a side of fried potatoes, gravy, and mixed vegetables. Slightly blindsided, Laxus ordered as well: a steak with a cheese sauce, garlic mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The waiter left a moment later, promising that their food would be out soon. The fact he would be eating something other than breakfast food made Laxus' stomach growl again.

As they waited for their food to arrive, they spoke almost constantly. Freed was apparently a natural conversationalist and managed to make Laxus feel comfortable in a situation that was completely foreign to him.

The wine might have helped with that.

When their food did come, it looked incredible. The portions were larger than Laxus had expected, and it looked cooked to perfection. Laxus shouldn't have expected anything else, and he picked up his fork immediately to start eating. As he brought a forkful of steak to his lips, he glanced towards Freed, who was looking at him with a smile.

"Should I have waited?" Laxus asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"No," Freed shook his head slightly, cutting up his beef wellington. "It's just interesting to see you outside the confines of the cabin. And to see you smiling; I didn't want to say anything, but the stress of the situation was showing. It's nice to see you a little relaxed."

"Well, it's thanks to you. I really am grateful for what you did earlier," Laxus smiled, a little guilty.

"You've said. And you really don't need to thank me so often. If I hadn't acted I would have been a hypocrite and I refuse to let that happen," Freed smiled. "So, I propose that we toast the situation, and then speak no more of it."

"I guess," Laxus nodded, raising his wine glass. Freed did the same and clinked it against Laxus'.

After that, conversation began again. It was loose and easy, the two joking with each other. Freed did most of the talking, as Laxus was focusing mainly on the food before him. His stomach was more than grateful for having a real meal, and he was going to enjoy every damn bite of it. Freed seemed to notice this, and had a waiter bring an extra portion of potatoes and mushrooms. Laxus would have argued, but his stomach wouldn't allow it.

By the time dessert was served – a small chocolate pudding alongside a bowl of apple pie and custard – Laxus had almost entirely forgotten about his previous misgivings and anxieties about entering the dining room. If people did look at him, he was no longer bothered by it.

Again, the bottle of wine they shared between them might have helped with that.

They ate and drank deep into the evening, and by the time their meal was completed the sun had set and the train was illuminated by candlelight. It was atmospheric, and rather nice to look at. A fleeting thought said that it was almost romantic, but Laxus dismissed it immediately. Before he could dwell on it, Freed suggested they retire for the night and return to their cabin. Laxus agreed.

The walk back down the train was a little hazy, again due to the wine. The fact the train's cabins were almost identical didn't help either.

"Hey Freed," Laxus said, voice a little bedraggled as Freed opened the door to their cabin.

"Yes?"

"So, being… gay isn't just fucking guy's right? It's romance and kissing too?"

"It depends on the person," Freed explained, frowning a little at the sudden question. "For some people, romance is a big part of it. Other people are too afraid of being found out, and only act on their base desires rather than romantic. But yes, for me it's more than just sex."

Laxus thought for a moment, watching as Freed closed the door.

The second it was closed, Laxus pushed Freed up against it and started to kiss him.

It was an unfamiliar feeling – the women Laxus had kissed in the past had softer lips – and the feeling of Freed against his was unusual but not bad. Instead, it was actually better than his experience with women. When he kissed back, Freed had a little more bite to his actions, was less passive than the women Laxus seemed to attract, and Laxus found himself liking that a lot more than he thought he would. It was good.

After a few seconds, Laxus felt Freed's hands on his chest, pushing him away slightly. When they pulled apart, Freed had an almost concerned expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" Freed whispered, both confused and worried.

"I need to see something," Laxus murmured, voice unsure. "Just, I need to- let me do this."

He kissed Freed again, and Freed kissed him back.

* * *

**_Day Seven: Morning_ **

When Laxus woke, it was with Freed in his arms.

A momentary flood of panic filled him, and the memories of what he and Freed had done came to him. He had gotten a little drunk over dinner, and Laxus had started to see Freed in a different light that was less than platonic. When they returned to their cabin, Laxus had felt weirdly confident in his confused feelings and had pushed Freed against the door and kissed him before the confidence could leave him.

Kissed him. Nothing more.

They had moved their kissing to the lower bed, and Laxus had a vague memory of running his hands over the man's body. It had been strong, powerful, almost intimidating but equally inviting. It was different to what Laxus was used to in a lover; perhaps better. But other than slight groping, nothing more happened. Freed had stopped him, claiming Laxus wasn't thinking straight, and the blonde had fallen asleep before he could protest.

Laxus was really fucking thankful for him doing that. Because, as he looked at the man sleeping in his arms, it felt as if the ball of nerves that had been slowly building inside of him had burst. Panic started to fill him.

He and Freed had kissed.

A lot.

Laxus had wanted to take the man to bed for god's sake! He wanted to have sex with a man!

His breathing started to get shorter and shorter, eyes widening at he looked down at Freed again. The man who he nearly had sex with. Panic flooding him, he removed himself from Freed's bunk as quickly as he could. He probably could have been more careful, but as he paced around the cabin with a level of fear rushing across him, whether Freed was awake or not was the last thing on his mind.

He ran his hand through his hair, walking towards the washroom. He filled a bowl with cold water and dunked his head into it, the shock of the temperature change momentarily freezing him. His panic lessoned a little, but not enough to calm him down.

"Laxus," Freed's tries voice said, but the blonde ignored him. "Laxus, look at me."

When Laxus payed no mind to the man, Freed walked to him, took his head between his hands and forced eye contact with him. Despite the fact that Freed was essentially the reason for this panic attack, it was weirdly calming to see his face. His breathing calmed slightly, and Freed gave him a soft smile.

"Take your time," Freed continued, voice calming. "When you're ready, I want you to lie down and close your eyes. It'll calm you down."

Laxus allowed Freed to guide him to the bed, laid down and closed his eyes. As Freed had said, it was a weirdly effective remedy for his panic attack. The slight juddering of the train moving was therapeutic, along with the pseudo-silence of the passing sounds of nature coming from the open window of their cabin. Still making an effort to keep his breathing steady, Laxus felt the brunt of his anxiety fade away. He was still thinking about what had happened and had no idea what was going to happen going forward, but he was at least not on the brink of having a breakdown.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Freed had turned the desk chair around and was looking at him with an expression that was either regretful of pitying; perhaps a mixture of both. He offered Laxus a glass of water, which he took.

"If it makes you feel better," Freed began, voice calm and soothing. "I promise what happened will remain between the two of us. Nobody will know, and you can work on forgetting it."

The promise should have been more comforting than it was. Because, knowing Freed, he would make sure that nobody knew, and it would end up being something Laxus would only have to push to the back of his mind. And yet, the feeling left a dull sensation in his stomach. Something akin to disappointment…

He had enjoyed kissing Freed. And he had wanted to take it further.

Where that thought had scared him before, it now left him confused.

"I don't want to forget it," Laxus said, sitting up. "At least, I think I don't. I don't really know what I'm feeling about it."

"Well, as someone who has been in that situation, I might be able to help," Freed offered, and Laxus let out a small, tentative nod. "I can imagine that was at least your first time doing such a thing with another man. Have you ever considered the fact you might have an interest in men before, or is this the first time?"

"No," Laxus shook his head. "It's all new. I'm kinda scared, honestly."

"That's okay, it's natural," Freed said, patting Laxus' hand. "I don't know if this will help, but there is categorically nothing wrong with being gay. The people who say otherwise are incorrect, bigoted and simply cruel."

Laxus wished that helped more than it did.

"Furthermore, the concept of being attracted to men is not as… binary as you might think," Freed patted his hand. "For example, just because you might want to kiss a man, it doesn't mean you don't want to kiss women as well. It is different for every person, to some extent. It might take some time to discover who exactly you are, and that's okay."

"Thanks," Laxus murmured, nodding a little. That was comforting, actually. "How did you do that?"

"Experimentation, predominantly," Freed explained. "I tried to engage in romances and sexual encounters with women, and with men when I could. I could be platonically close to women, but not romantically nor sexually. But with these men, it was different. It felt better; both exhilarating and comfortable."

"Right…" Laxus nodded.

Experimenting, as Freed had called it, seemed like the right thing to do. But it wasn't as if Laxus knew how to find these men. He knew that, if you looked in the right places, there would be a tavern where you could find a man to take to bed. But, if he was honest, Laxus wanted to date. To marry, at some point.

Admittedly, doing that with a man would be difficult, but the point was that he wanted a life partner. He was a romantic traditionalist; ironic given the situation he found himself in.

Freed looked at him with a concerned expression. "I have a suggestion."

"Go ahead," Laxus mumbled.

"Well, you only kissed me last night after I told you that men could be romantic together as well as sexual. So you seem to want to date someone. And you have some kind of attraction to me, and I to you," Freed explained slowly. "So what if, for the rest of the time we're here, we act as a couple. When we go to dinner tonight we class it as a date rather than simply a meal between friends, we can kiss at the end of the night if you wish, and perhaps even share the bed again if you feel comfortable. And then tomorrow, when we leave the train, we can discuss how you're feeling. If you wish to forget it, we can. If you wish to break contact with me and not speak again, we can. But if you wish to continue something romantic between us, we can do that too."

Laxus thought for a moment. "Are you sure you wanna do that? I mean…"

A lot of reasons as to why Freed wouldn't want to do that came to mind. For one, it would almost feel as if he were leading Freed on if he decided men weren't where his interests lay. And even if they were, would Freed want to be with someone going through something this big? Hell, would Freed want to be with someone so under his station? Freed was a gentleman and a scholar – literally so – whereas Laxus was a homeless criminal.

"Laxus, I've been where you are and I know how hard it can be," Freed smiled. "And, I'm attracted to you. You're a handsome man, with a brilliant personality and, honestly, you're a good kisser."

Laxus laughed. "You really think so? Nobody ever said that before."

"Well, the women you have kissed clearly don't appreciate a good man when presented with one," Freed said firmly.

"I'm a good man, huh?" Laxus said with a small frown.

"I'd be proud to have you on my arm," Freed said, unblinking.

It was a minor compliment, but it made Laxus feel… giddy. Laxus couldn't remember the last time he had been given a compliment like that, not one by someone who didn't have some kind of ulterior motive at least. It was almost pathetic how wide his smile was at the small phrase, and the blush on his cheeks didn't help.

"Well," Laxus said, smiling a little nervously. "Tonight I will be."

* * *

**_Day Seven: Evening_ **

Sitting at the bar with Freed was a really good feeling, actually. Laxus had initially been a bit nervous, not entirely sure what a 'date' would be like with Freed – he wasn't comfortable kissing Freed in front of people, and he didn't know if Freed would want to do that – but he was actually enjoying it. Freed was respectful, and although there wasn't a particularly big difference in how they were acting around each other, it did have a different feeling. A little more charged.

Freed was more happy to give compliments and did so openly. Mainly they were about his personality, but there was a few on his looks. He said them confidentially, and Laxus had been a little concerned the first few times, but nobody seemed to care. Laxus wondered if Freed had perfected what personal compliments he could say before they were found out.

Honestly, despite how utterly stupid it was to think this way, Laxus kind of liked the risk.

He didn't know what would happen if they were caught and refused to let it happen. He was honestly terrified by the idea of someone other than Freed knowing about his potential feeling for men.

But, some small and twisted part of him was excited. They had a secret, and they were kind of flaunting it.

"You know, I was thinking actually," Freed spoke with a glass of gin in his hand. "It's sort of ironic that I agreed to help you because I wanted an interesting story to write about, and I'm considering actually writing about our time on the train."

"Really?" Laxus frowned.

"I think it would make for a good story," Freed shrugged. "I'd of course have to make some changes, add more suspense to everything. Other alterations to make it more marketable."

The emphasis on the word marketable made Laxus relax. From what he knew about Freed's publisher, he wouldn't consider two men dating in any way marketable, so Freed was probably trying to suggest that the romantic part of their journey wouldn't be involved in Freed's writing. That was good because, despite it being almost impossible to tie Freed's writing to Laxus, he didn't want to tempt fate in them being found out.

"Well, I mean I ain't a writer, but if you need any help from me then just ask," Laxus offered, and Freed smiled.

"I might just do that," He said as he emptied the rest of his drink. "It's a little warm in here. There's a small outdoor area where we boarded, it acts like a balcony in transit. Would you like to go there before we retire for the night?"

"Sounds fine," Laxus nodded.

The two men walked through the drinking carriage and to the door at the end, where they entered a small metal platform at the rear of the vehicle. The night sky was cloudless, and stars shone brightly, illuminating the tracks. The wind was a little choppy, and after Laxus closed the door, Laxus understood why Freed had taken him out here.

The wind would block out any conversation to anyone trying to listen in on them, making it perhaps the most private part on the train. Freed leant on the metal railing, the wind flowing through his hair as he looked to Laxus.

"So," He began. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Laxus nodded a little, joining Freed while resting on the railing. "The meal was good, and the drinks are pretty nice. And you know that I like being around you-"

"I more meant how you are doing in general," Freed corrected, smiling softly. "It can't be overstated how stressful a situation this can be for a person. You seem to be taking it well, and I just wondered if you're actually okay or just internalising it."

"It's messing me up, honestly," Laxus sighed. He hadnt wanted to admit it to Freed; it was rude to interrupt a date with his own problems. "I don't really know what I'm feeling. It's kinda like I'm numb. I feel like I should be really freaked out by all of this, but I'm not. But I am panicked, just not as much as I should be. I was more panicked about getting caught by the police in the train station even though this is kinda worse so…"

"That seems good, I think," Freed said, comfortingly. "You've always seemed rather pragmatic about yourself. Perhaps you've realised that this is part of who you are, and you've accepted it on some level."

"Maybe I have," Laxus shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just taking it as it comes. Acting on instinct, it's what I've always done."

"It seems to have worked for you so far," Freed grinned a little. "So, as I interrupted you before, how do you think this date is going?"

"I'm really enjoying it actually," Laxus admitted, a little flushed as he spoke. In his past relationships, his opinions of things weren't overly considered. "It's a little weird knowing you're another man, but honestly, it's been fun. You're a good guy to go on a date with."

"I try my best," Freed laughed.

"Well, you're good at it," Laxus muttered. "You enjoying it? I kinda think this is more about me than you, feel a little guilty."

"Well you shouldn't. You're going through a lot. Besides, I'm enjoying myself. You're good company," He grin took a small wicked glint. "And you really shouldn't feel guilty. Because right now, those trousers are shaping around your arse to perfection and I am more than making the best of it."

"Shut up," Laxus muttered, flushing red. Nobody had ever given him a compliment like that before!

"Oh don't get coy now, Laxus," Freed chuckled. "I know a man who does squats when I see one. You've cultivated your arse to look like that, at least let me enjoy it."

Laxus laughed a bit, unable to meet Freed's eyes. He was unashamedly complimenting him on his body, something that had never happened with any of his relationships with women. Honestly, as weirdly pathetic as this felt, Laxus enjoyed having this amount of attention on him. While he was blushing, he did allow a smile to grace his features.

"Well, you ain't bad looking either," Laxus mumbled. "At least to me, but I'm no expert on what makes a man look good."

"You've managed to make yourself look incredibly handsome, don't be so hard on yourself," Freed chuckled.

Laxus couldn't say anything, out of fear that he would stutter and make a fool of himself. Freed simply let out a small and teasing laugh, which Laxus didn't mind; over the last week Freed had proven himself to be non-judgmental on the important things. They stayed out for a little while longer before the chill got too cold to take, and they both agreed that it would be best to return to their cabin for the night. It was getting late, after all.

As they did, Laxus did something he wasn't particularly proud of. Freed was walking in front of him, and Laxus allowed his eyes to stray down to the writer's ass. It was weird, and Laxus felt his stomach flip a little. He knew what the feeling was. He was turned on by the man and was confident about it. He didn't say anything until they reached the door and Freed unlocked the cabin.

"Don't stop me this time," Laxus whispered into his ear before they entered the room. "Because I know I want this."

* * *

**_Day Seven: Night (NSFW)_ **

Kissing Freed was amazing, Laxus had concluded.

He was rough and strong with his movements, almost as if he saw the kiss as a challenge. His hands were resting deep in his blonde hair, tugging at it occasionally and making Laxus groan at the feeling. Whenever he had kissed someone before it had felt like he was doing all the work, but right now he was feeling great. There was so much more going on than in his past kisses; so much more to feel and enjoy.

Freed dragged him to the bottom bunk of the bed. Freed sat, and Laxus lowered himself to maintain the kiss. Again on instinct, Laxus found his hands roaming the other man's body, and it ignited a fire. There was so much power in him, so much strength.

God it was hot.

Freed didn't stop him this time, instead his hands started to roam over Laxus' body. He pulled the dinner jacket off Laxus, throwing it to the floor, and the act of having a piece of his outfit being taken off him sent a thrill down Laxus. It was happening, he was going to fuck another man, and the idea of it was exhilarating. His dick strained in his trousers.

Laxus was just as eager, pulling off Freed's jacket with less elegance than Freed had. He quickly unbuttoned the man's waistcoat, and that was thrown to the floor as well. Freed pulled his lips away from Laxus, looked at him for a moment, then grinned.

He had been checking if Laxus was truly into this. He definitely was.

Freed's lips were suddenly on his neck, and an unfamiliar sensation of sucking and nibbling sensation overtook the blonde. The skin on his neck was more sensitive that he thought it could be, and the feeling of Freed almost attacking it with his tongue and teeth was incredible. This was all so fucking overwhelming in the best damn way.

"Shit," Laxus let out a whine.

"Laxus," Freed whispered, pulling his lips away from his neck. "You know idea how much I would love to hear your moans and watch you lose control, but I need you to be quiet. We'll get caught otherwise."

"Yeah, of course. Sorry," Laxus whispered.

"If it helps, I could gag you with one of my ties," Freed teased, and the threat sent a pulse of intense arousal straight to Laxus' dick.

He had never been with a lover like this before. One who had a little bite to them, who could challenge Laxus and make him feel good. This wasn't going to be just him pleasuring another person, it was going to be the two of them making each other feel good. And Laxus was so fucking ready to make himself and Freed feel good.

With slightly stumbling hands, he worked on undoing the buttons to Freed's shirt and pulled it off. The expanse of strong muscle was so fucking hot to Laxus in a way the blonde didn't understand, and Laxus felt overcome by instincts.

He moved them both fully onto the bed. Freed was lying face up, Laxus was over him on all fours.

Laxus ripped open his shirt and tossed it to the side before kissing him again, their strong bodies pushed against each other. The feeling of Freed's abs and pecs rubbing against his own body was almost orgasmic, and the blonde relished every moment of it. How he was so turned on by something so unfamiliar with was beyond Laxus, but he didn't care. He was following his instincts on this, and they were screaming at him to ravish this man.

With slightly unsure movements, he began to grope the other man over his trousers. The feeling of another man's hard cock against his hand was unusual, but the fact it quivered in his hand spurred Laxus on. He was making Freed feel good, and Laxus loved that.

His eyes shot open a moment later when he felt hands on his own tenting crotch. Freed was taking his trousers off for him; a feeling so incredible that Laxus felt a small trickle of pre-cum leak from the tip of his dick.

God he wanted this so much.

After Freed had pushed the blonde' trousers down as far as possible, Laxus kicked them off to the floor. Now only in his briefs, he started to work on Freed's belt and pulling his own trousers downs. Laxus didn't have the same level of subtlety – nor patience – that Freed had, taking the man's briefs down with his trousers.

Laxus looked at the naked man before him. He was sweating, his strong muscles flexing, dick straining hard. He was looking at Laxus with a small smirk, clearly knowing how much Laxus was enjoying this.

Fuck: looking at Freed like this confirmed one thing. He definitely wanted to fuck this man.

Laxus was kissing him a moment later, his underwear-clad cock rubbing against Freed's. The feeling was unusual and incredible, and Laxus was running more and more out of patience. He pulled away from Freed, cheeks red as he looked deep into his eyes. God, this was a form of intimacy that he had never felt with another person, and he was loving it.

"Can I- I mean do you mind if I-," Laxus didn't know how to phrase it.

He gestures to the hard dick in his briefs, and Freed smirked. He reached down and slid the man's briefs down his legs again, tossing them to the ground and giving a single, hard tug. Laxus grinded his teeth together so he didn't moan loud enough to be heard.

"There's some lotion in my suitcase," Freed whispered. "Give it to me."

Laxus reached over to Freed's suitcase, climbing off the man. His pupils dilated as he got a better look at the man he had just been on top of. He looked fucking incredible, with his stomach expanding slightly with every breath and showing off his gorgeous abs. His chest was perfectly defined, his thighs shockingly strong looking, his dick hard and long with two equally large balls below it. The sight of another man naked was so unusual to Laxus, but fuck did he love it.

He found the lotion and handed it to Freed, who emptied a large amount of it into his hand. Laxus watched with wide eyes as Freed brought his hand to Laxus' dick, slowly stroking it and lathering it with the lotion. His movements were purposeful and drove Laxus wild.

He was pushing his forehead against the top bunk, trying desperately not to moan.

"I can finish you off like this," Freed whispered, voice a little ragged. "But if you want, we can go further. I assume you know how men would fuck."

Laxus nodded and climbed atop Freed with a grin. He had gone this far and knew that if Freed did finish him with his hands, it would be the best orgasm he had had in years. But Laxus wanted to make Freed feel as good as he was feeling, and if buggering him was the way to do it then Laxus would gladly do so.

Freed turned himself over so that he was face down in the bed, and Laxus was presented with the fucking faultless sight of Freed's strong back and firm, round ass. It was incredibly enticing.

"Before you start, I need something to cum into," Freed whispered, and Laxus frowned. "Unless you want explain stains to the maid."

Laxus nodded, looking around for something in arms reach. He saw that his own briefs were close, and the idea of Freed jizzing into his underwear filled Laxus with an almost animalistic lust. He wanted to see that happen, wanted to be the one responsible for that happening, and picked up his briefs to hand to Freed before he could stop himself. The other man took them and slowly began to pump his dick with them on his hand.

"Start slowly," Freed instructed. "But once you get a rhythm, the speed is up to you. I can take it."

Laxus nodded, looking at his lotion covered dick. Taking a breath to ready himself, he placed his dick in front of Freed's ass and slowly pushed inside.

It was orgasmic.

The tightness of the man around him was indescribable, and was the most overwhelming, intense feeling the blonde had ever gone though. The further he pushed in, the better if felt, and the slight moan from Freed – who had been restrained up until this point – made everything so much better. This was so good.

He slowly started to move his hips back and forth, getting used to the feeling. It was insanely erotic, intense to a degree Laxus had never felt before. His nerves were on fire, and his mind went numb. It was brilliant.

Lowering his body to get closer to Freed, he started to get into a rhythm with his thrusts. He got faster, gyrating his hips carefully. Freed was pumping his own dick with Laxus' briefs, and the feeling of Freed jutting against him was incredible. It was so good, so much better than he had ever felt.

He was getting faster and faster, the intensity of the brilliance of the situation spurring him on.

The orgasm was already threatening to overtake him, but he wanted to hold on. Freed had been so good to him, so kind, and he was so fucking sexy like this. Laxus wanted to make this as good as he could for the man, and his hips started to thrust with great speed. When he looked down to Freed, the man looked at him with a grin, a tiny moan leaving his lips.

Both turning their heads, Freed pulled Laxus into a kiss. Laxus' thrusts still got faster, and Freed pushed against it while he wanked himself off.

Suddenly, Freed moaned into their kiss, eyes widening. Laxus knew what was happening.

Before he could come to terms with the fact he had brought Freed to orgasm – the fact he was spilling his seed in Laxus' briefs was a sickly incredible feeling – Freed seemed to clench his entire body. The feeling of increased tightness around his dick finally sent Laxus over the edge, and the orgasm filled all his senses.

It was like the world itself had been rocked. It was incredible.

Laxus had never felt so good, so turned on, so satisfied. It only lasted a few moments, but it was fucking insane.

Exhaustion suddenly overtook him, and Laxus felt himself collapse on the man. Freed brought Laxus' briefs to his own ass, helping Laxus remove his dick without spilling any of their cum on the bed. They shifted slightly in their positions, and Freed tossed the cum stained underwear into his open suitcase, so they were out of the way, but not able to stain anything in the cabin itself.

As they lay in the same bunk, Laxus couldn't say he was sure if he was attracted to all men.

But he sure as hell knew he was attracted to Freed. And if he got his way, that wouldn't be the last time they fucked. Because they were doing that again!

* * *

**_Day Eight: Morning_ **

Getting off the train was weird. Laxus was confronted with the cold air of Paris in the wintertime, the brisk chill of a wind going through his hair as he walked through the train station, and his legs slightly unstable on unmoving ground.

He stood beside Freed, holding one of the man's two suitcases as they walked side by side; Freed had said that he didn't need to carry his luggage, but Laxus insisted that it was the absolute least he could do. Freed went to argue, but Laxus pointed out that Freed had even given him one of Bickslow's suits to keep and that doing something as small as lifting his bags was nothing in comparison to that. Freed hadnt been able to argue after that.

"So," Freed said as they left the train station. "What are your plans now?"

"Well, I sent gramps a letter the day I left, so hopefully it got to him by now," Laxus shrugged. "So go to his flat, see how I can help out. Then try and get a job, see what happens from there."

"So you'll live with your grandfather then?"

"It's the only place I've got," Laxus shrugged. "It ain't exactly the biggest flat in the world, only got one bedroom which he gave to me as a kid. Obviously he's gonna need to keep that, so I guess I'll be on the sofa. But I can deal with that."

Freed hummed contemplatively. As the writer thought, Laxus looked around Paris again. It looked different form the last time he had been there; with more decorations on the streets and a general feeling of luxury living. He doubted that the part of Paris he lived in would be as nice as this – it had never been an affluent area – but it was better than he remembered. And weirdly, it almost felt as if he was coming home.

He vaguely remembered where he was going, and Freed seemed to be going in the same direction as him. They walked the cobbled streets side by side, walking past cafés and eateries, watching painters beside the river. It felt like a postcard version of France.

"Where does he live?" Freed asked.

"Erm, the building's called Rosemary Court," Laxus frowned a little as he tried to remember his grandfather's address. "It's in Square de la Couronne."

"I know it well, actually. I have an apartment in Boulevard Gambetta. It's about half an hour's walk away from your grandfather's house," Freed commented. "We could meet up sometime, if you'd like."

"Sound's nice," Laxus looked to him, smiling a little. "In… the same way we did last night, right?"

"I'd like that," Freed smiled, and a warm feeling flooded through Laxus. "You know, I do actually have a spare bedroom, if you ever need a night away from your grandfather, or wish to sleep in an actual bed, I'm more than willing to accommodate you for the night."

"I might take you up on that," Laxus said with a smile.

When he thought about that, a sudden rush of confidence flooded through him. At the start of the week, he and Freed hadn't known one another and Laxus hadnt considered the possibility he might be attracted to a man. And now, he was in some kind of relationship with him. And that was a fact that Laxus loved. Because he really cared for Freed, despite how they had only known each other for a short time.

While they were on the train, Freed had always been making accommodations for him. He helped him stay safe in the cabin and walked him through the realisation he wasn't as straight as he first thought. But now Laxus knew what he needed to: he was attracted to Freed and enjoyed his company. And now he wasn't trapped with him, their relationship had changed slightly.

And now it was Laxus' time to pull his own weight.

"But, you know, if I were to come to yours then I wouldn't wanna put you to any trouble," Laxus shrugged. "I imagine making up a whole other bed would be a lot of effort."

Freed raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback by the sudden confidence from the blonde.

"It would be quite troubling to do that," Freed agreed with a small smirk. "Perhaps we could find a way where only one bed would be used."

"Maybe we could," Laxus said with a small smirk. That was the first time he had flirted with a man, and he enjoyed it. He also enjoyed the fact Freed had flirted back; he was almost like a verbal sparring partner. That was good. "But, it could take some time. We should dedicate some time to, y'know, _thrash_ everything out."

"I was counting on it," Freed smirked, having picked on the double entendre. "A full night at least, no doubt."

"Maybe a couple days," Laxus shrugged, grinning.

They looked towards each other, both with grins on their faces. They continued to walk side by side further into Paris, and Laxus felt a chill run down his spine when their knuckles grazed one another. He couldn't believe that this was how his life was progressing.

He couldn't believe how much he liked it. Because, even though he knew his life would be harder from now on, he didn't care. Because he felt whole in a way he hadnt before. Maybe it was being back in Paris where he felt he belonged, maybe it was because he had come to terms with something he had never considered before, and maybe it was because he had a romantic partner that thrilled him like nobody else had.

But one thing was certain. Despite everything that had happened, this had been a good week. Perhaps the best week he'd had in years, and Laxus was cautiously optimistic as to what the rest of his life held.

The rest of his life in Paris. With Freed as both his friend and perhaps his lover.


End file.
